Russia has criticised the US for making “another attempt of shameless interference” into the internal affairs of Pakistan and asserted that Prime Minister Imran Khan was paying the price for being “disobedient” to Washington and being punished for visiting Russia in February this year.
Khan met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on February 24, the day the Russian leader had ordered a “special military operation” against Ukraine.
In doing so, he had also become the first Pakistani premier to visit Russia in 23 years after former premier Nawaz Sharif travelled to Moscow in 1999.
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said despite pressure from the US to cancel his visit to Moscow, Khan went ahead with his trip.
The US-led West has imposed a series of crippling sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine and has been pressing other nations to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and other products.
Khan then got Pakistan President Arif Alvi to dissolve the 342-member National Assembly.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing on the deputy speaker’s decision to reject the no-confidence motion against the premier, who had lost majority in the lower house of Parliament.
Khan had named senior US diplomat Donald Lu as the person who was allegedly involved in the “foreign conspiracy” to oust his government through a no-confidence vote tabled by the Opposition.
Pakistan’s Opposition leaders have ridiculed Khan’s allegation, and the US has dismissed these claims.
